Conservative columnist: Kelly’s biggest task is explaining to Trump his entire presidency is built on lies

FILE PHOTO: Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly (L) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting with cyber security experts in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Writing in the Washington Post, conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin pointed out that new White House Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly will never be successful reining President Donald Trump in until he gets him to sit down and listen to some hard truths about his failing presidency and why he continues to plummet in the polls.

Rubin, a longtime cheerleader for conservative causes, has become one of Trump’s harshest critics based upon her beliefs that he has betrayed conservative principles — choosing instead to promote himself.

Friday morning she noted that former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta has offered some advice to Kelly on how to effectively do his job, starting with being bluntly honest with Trump.

“There has to be one person in the White House willing to look the president in the eye and tell him the truth — to tell him when he is wrong and when he is about to make a mistake — and that has to be the chief of staff,” Panetta wrote. “It is a disservice to the president and the nation not to make him aware of the political and substantive problems he may confront as a result of a particular decision. No president likes to be told he is wrong. However, to be successful, all presidents have to accept the reality that they are not always right.”

With that in mind, Rubin ticked off some of Trump’s more notable lies and what might even be called “alternative facts” that he needs to quit insisting upon if he doesn’t want to see his administration go down in flames.

Among her most scathing suggestions:

“There was no massive voting fraud in 2016. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 3 million votes,” Rubin wrote, adding, “Your approval is really, really low and you are losing some of your core base, including whites with no college degree. As a result of that and failure of health-care reform, Republicans in Congress now ignore you.”

“The Russia investigation is not fake news or a hoax. Contrary to your representations, the campaign had multiple contacts with the Russians,” Rubin stated. “”Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner all made representations that were not true concerning contacts with Russian officials.”

Rubin also warned the president to keep his nose out the investigation into the June 2016 meeting where Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russians connected with the Kremlin.

“You involved yourself in creating a fake cover story for the June 2016 meeting with Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort. Combined with the firing of James B. Comey, the special prosecutor may have a case for obstruction of justice,” she lectured before getting to a key warning, bluntly stating, “If you fire Robert S. Mueller III, it is quite possible Congress will move to impeach you.”

Rubin also advised that White House aide Stephen Miller should never be allowed on television again, and said it was time to send Kushner and Ivanka Trump packing back to New York City.

“Your son-in-law and daughter are unqualified to be senior advisers. Jared has made some really bad recommendations (like hiring Anthony Scaramucci and firing Comey). They should go back to New York. Honestly, you’d be doing them a favor,” Rubin wrote.

About the Author

Tom Boggioni is based in the quaint seaside community of Pacific Beach in less quaint San Diego. He writes about politics, media, culture, and other annoyances. Mostly he spends his days at the beach gazing at the horizon waiting for the end of the world, or the sun to go down. Whichever comes first.